MacKinnon Parade West
North Adelaide
21st October 1885
Baron Von Mueller K.C.M.G. M&Ph.D. F.R.S. F.C.S &c.
Melbourne
Dear Sir,
Very many thanks indeed for the fine parcel of useful seeds which I received per S.S. "John Elder[".]1 Be assured that I shall make the best possible use of them.
You ask me to reserve one or two new Geograph[ic] localities for naming after some eminent men in Europe. I shall indeed be most happy to do so, and shall [be] ever grateful to you for your numerous valuable hints and also for the interest you are taking in my expedit[ion]. I trust that we will be enabled to make a grand collect[ion] of botanical specimens for you. I am very favora[bly] impressed with Lieut Dittrich and think he will prove a valuable acquisition to my party.2 I am thankful to you for the instruction and assistance you gave him. I had already made up my party when I received his application to accompany me — and so desirous was I of taking some one who could devote his time to collecting that not being able to afford to purchase 2 more camels [and] the necessary outfit I asked the Geographical Society to assist me. The Surveyor General3 who is on the Council said he believed the Govt would do all [I] wanted if I asked and recommended me to do [so.] I did so, asking for the loan of two Camels and outfit and £40 for rations — this was refused — and to shame them (the Govt) into consenting I told them that I had had one Camel offered me by a poor man and £20 by you4 for as an inducement to my men to collect: [this] course had the desired effect and I was very pleased [to] be able to wire for Dittrich. We are taking a photographic camera and intend photographing the natives all through Australia. Altogether I hope to make the expedition an interesting and useful one from a scientific point of view, and if we can but find some [tr]aces of poor Leichardt we will do a grand work.
The whole party was photographed today in bush costume and my wife will send you a copy.5
Very many thanks for your good wishes. [We] shall leave Adelaide next monday.
You suggested that I should brand the trees with a hot iron —full name — I have a registered brand V 79 [on] my camels and I shall use that — it will be [quite] [di]stinctive enough for anything.
Hoping your health is improving
I am
Yours very gratefully
David Lindsay
Please cite as “FVM-85-10-21c,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/85-10-21c